Head cover



R. A. SMITH July 22, 1969 HEAD COVER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 4.1967 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS R. A. SMITH July 22, 1969 HEAD COVER 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Apri} 4, 1967 INVENTOR: RuTH A. $WTH ATTORNEYS3,456,657 HEAD COVER Ruth A. Smith, Cartersville, Ga., assignor of fiftypercent to Rogers, Magruder & Hoyt, Rome, Ga., a partnership Filed Apr.4, 1967, Ser. No. 628,395 Int. Cl. A41g 3/00, /00

US. Cl. 13253 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A head cover for wearby a person and including a base shaped to provide a head receivingpocket, and groups of twisted textile yarns of relatively coarse countsecured to the base and arranged relative thereto in a predeterminedmanner suggestive of a hair style, with the groups being in the form ofcoils of yarn suggestive of curls of hair, or in the form ofsubstantially vertically extending lengths of yarn suggestive of hairarranged in buoffant styles, or in combinations thereof.

This invention relates to a head cover. More particularly, it relates toa head cover for wear by a person over the hair and presenting anexterior surface to the view which is suggestive of a hair style.

Head covers of this type have a variety of uses. Classically, such headcovers are worn, particularly by women, to enable them to change theappearance of their hair color and style at whim. Among other areas ofutility thereof is the temporary concealment in an attractive manner ofthe natural hair when in disarray, as for example when it has been windblown or wetted by rain, or wetted at a swimming pool, beach or thelike. Similarly, it is frequently necessary for women to prepare theirnatural hair for special occasions, as by rolling it on curlers, etc.Rather than appear in public with the curlers on display, it is usuallypreferred to conceal them from view, and the head cover of the presentinvention is well suited to this purpose.

Head covers for these and similar purposes have been constructed in thepast. However, such previous constructions have invariably employedeither human hair or a fibrous material chosen for its close resemblancethereto to cover the exterior surface, and such materials have butlittle inherent body. Because of this, these previous constructions havesignificant drawbacks when used as aforesaid. For example, thehair-imitative portions of such constructions are as readily affected bythe elements as is natural hair, e.g., they may easily be blown intodisarray by the wind. Moreover, it is necessary with such constructionsthat the hair-imitative portions thereof be carefully tended in a mannersimilar to that necessary with natural hair. In point of fact, it is theusual custom for such head covers to be sent to beauty salons forwashing, setting, waving, etc., which entails significant expense.

The more utilitarian uses of such head covers, as described above, haverecently been enlarged upon by the novelty-conscious, particularlyteenagers, and it is now a fad with them to selectively wear differenthead covers of different and distinctive colors and hair styles, chosento accent the color and style of their clothing. Because of themeticulous and expensive care required for the maintenance ofconventional head covers, this fad has heretofore been limited in itsspread. With the advent of the present invention, the fad has becomeincreasingly popular, as it has come within the means of an increasingnumber of adherents.

It is an object of this invention to provide a head cover for wear by aperson over the hair and presenting an exterior surface suggestive of ahair style, which head nited States Patent 0 3,456,657 Patented July 22,1969 cover avoids the problems and drawbacks of head cover heretoforeknown.

It is a more specific object of this invention to provide a head coverof the type aforesaid which is simple and economical of construction andwhich is easily maintained in an attractive appearance without incurringundue maintenance expense.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objectswill appear as the description proceeds, when taken in connection withthe accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURES 1, 2, and 3 are front, side and rear views, respectively, of ahead cover according to the invention as it appears when worn by aperson;

FIGURE 4 is a diagrammatic view in front perspective of a tubular blankfor making a base for the head cover;

FIGURE 5 is a View similar to FIGURE 4, showing the blank formed into abase for the head cover;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of a soil of yarn suggestive of a curl ofhair, according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIGURES 7 and 8 are views similar to FIGURE 6, showing coils of yarnaccording to other embodiments;

FIGURES 9 and 10 are side and rear views, respectively, of a head coveraccording to another embodiment, as it appears when worn by a person;and

FIGURE 11 is a sectional view, taken substantially along line 1111 ofFIGURE 10.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, a head cover accordingto the present invention is generally designated 10 in FIGURES 1, 2 and3, where it is shown as it appears when worn by a person. Head cover 10includes a base 11 shaped to form a head-receiving pocket 12 whichgenerally conforms to the configuration of the cranial portion of thehead of the wearer.

Base 11 may be formed in any desired manner. Preferably, and asillustrated in FIGURES 4 and 5, it may be formed by first crochetingyarns into a tube of open mesh fabric extending from a lower edge 13 ofthe tube to an upper edge 14 thereof. Upper edge 14 is then unitarilyjoined to close the upper end of the tube, and to thereby form the upperportion 15 of pocket 12.

Preferably, and as illustrated, the fabric of base 11 is of considerablytighter mesh adjacent lower edge 13 than it is in the remaining portionthereof, so that lower edge 13 is reinforced for resiliently holdinghead cover 10 in place on the wearers head.

Numerous alternative modes of producing base 11 will be readily apparentto those skilled in the art, and it is intended that such alternativemodes be included herein. By way of example, base 11 could be molded,knitted, woven, braided, or felted. In a specific example, a tubularblank therefor could be warp knitted on a double bed Raschel knittingmachine, such as that shown in US. Patent No. 3,299,674 issued Jan. 24,1967 to W. H. Scheibe.

Preferably, base 11 is formed from a twisted textile yarn, which may beof any natural fiber, such as cotton or wool, or of any synthetic fiber,such as rayon, nylon, acetate, etc.

In order that the yarn of base 11 might match with the hair-imitativeportions of head cover 10 as described hereinafter, it is preferred thatsuch yarn be of relatively coarse count, i.e., relatively large indiameter, and that it be dyed to match the color of the hair-imitativeportions hereinafter described.

In order to provide a covering of hair-imitative portions for head cover10, a plurality of groups of textile yarns are secured to the outersurface 16 of base 11, substantially covering the surface 16 to concealit from view. The yarn used in these groups is a twisted textile yarn,preferably of relatively coarse count, and may be of any suitable fibersuch as cotton, wool, rayon, nylon, acetate, etc.

Unlike the fine filaments of human hair or fibrous materials chosen forits close resemblance thereto used in head covers as heretoforeconstructed, such yarn has substantial dimensional stability, or body.Thus, when secured to the base 11, it is not readily subjected todisarray by such things as wind, humidity and the like. Instead, it willtend to remain in whatever arrangement it is in when secured to base 11.Accordingly, the need for meticulous and expensive care thereof isminimal.

Each of the groups of yarns may be in any of a variety ofconfigurations. In the hair style illustrated in FIG- URES l3 twodifferent configurations of groups of yarn are employed, and they arearranged relative to the base 11 in a manner suggestive of a hairstyleincluding curlsuggestive portions.

The two configurations of groups of yarn employed therein are shown inrespective detail in FIGURES 6 and 7. In the configuration of FIGURE 6,a plurality of loops of yarn are formed into a relatively large diametercoil 17, which coil is tied to base 11 by tie strands 20 secured to coil17 at diametrically opposite points thereon. In the configuration ofFIGURE 7, a plurality of loops of yarn are formed into a coil 21 whichis of somewhat smaller diameter than coil 17. Coil 21 is secured to base11 by a tie strand 22 secured to the coil at a single point on itsperiphery.

As best shown in FIGURES 1-3, several coils 17 and several coils 21 maybe arranged on base 11 in any desired manner, and collectively comprisea covering or hair-imitative portion for head cover which is suggestiveof an attractive hair style, covering the outer surface 16 of base 11and concealing it from view. Coils 17 and 21 when so arranged aresuggestive of curls of hair in the hair style.

The curl-suggestive coils of yarn may be formed in other manners. Asshown in FIGURE 8 a coil 23 may comprise an intermediate foundation 24having a plurality of loops or tufts 25 of twisted textile yarn securedthereto as by being tufted therethrough. Loops 25 may be cut to displaya plush surface, or may be uncut as illustrated to display a loopedsurface, as desired. Adidtional- 1y, intermediate foundation 24 may becut into any desired shape or size, and secured to base 11 in anydesired arrangement and in any suitable manner, as by being stitchedthereto or by being adhesively bonded thereto. Thus, the appearance ofvarious distinctive curly hair styles may be suggested by selectivelyarranging coils 23 on base 11, either alone or in various combinationswith others of the groups of yarn such as coils 17 or 21.

In addition to the curly hair styles described above, the hair-imitativeportions of the head cover 10 may be formed to suggest other types ofhair style. For example, as best shown in FIGURES 9-11, the groups ofyarn arranged on the outer surface 16 of base 11 may each comprise aplurality of predetermined lengths of twisted textile yarn arranged in amanner suggestive of a bouffant hair style. To this end, each length ofyarn 26 in the groups of yarns of FIGURES 9-11 is secured by its lowerend to the inner surface 27 of base 11 adjacent the lower edge 13thereof, and extends substantially vertically upwardly therefrom, overthe outer surface 16 of base 11, to the upper portion thereof, where theother end of each yarn 27 is secured to base 11. Preferably, a pluralityof coils 30 of yarn, which may be like any of the coils 4 17, 21 or 23hereinbefore described, are secured to the upper portion 15 of base 11,overlying the upper ends of the yarns 26 in the bouffant groups toconceal these ends from view.

The groups of yarns forming the hair-imitative portions of head cover 10may be of any desired color. Pref erably, the color thereof is the sameas the color of the yarn forming base 1 1. Where the yarn of the base 11is the same type of yarn as that of the hair-imitative portions, as ispreferred, then the entire head cover 10 may be fabricated in thegreige, and then dyed as a completed unit so that the color may beuniform throughout.

In the drawings and specification there have been set forth preferredembodiments of the invention and, although specific terms are employed,they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not forpurposes of limitation, the scope of the invention :being defined in theclaims.

I claim:

1. A head cover adapted to be worn on a persons head as a wig or insimulation of hair, said head cover comprising:

a fabric base shaped to conform to the top and back of a persons headand having a head receiving pocket therein, and

a covering for said base comprising groups of twisted textile yarnssecured to said base and substantially covering and concealing the sameand arranged relative thereto and relative to each other in apredetermined manner suggestive of a hair style, at least some of saidgroups of twisted textile yarns each comprising a coil yarn and saidcoils being suggestive of hair arranged in curls.

2. A head cover according to claim 1 wherein each coil comprises aplurality of loops of yarn and said coils substantially cover said base.

3. A head cover according to claim 1 wherein each coil comprises anintermediate foundation secured to said base and a plurality of tufts ofyarn secured to said foundation.

4. A head cover according to claim 1 wherein at least some of saidgroups each comprises a plurality of predetermined lengths of yarn, witheach length of yarn being secured to the inner surface of the base atone end thereof and to the outer surface of the upper portion of thebase at its other end whereby said lengths of yarn extend sustantiallyvertically from the lower edge to the upper portion of said base andover the outer surface thereof in a manner suggestive of a bouffant hairstyle, and wherein said coils of yarn are secured to the upper portionof the base overlying the other ends of said lengths of yarn to concealthese ends from view.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 300,938 6/1884 Beck 132-53431,837 7/1890 Borden 132-53 1,030,996 7/1912 Goodman 13249 2,372,3303/1945 Loewensohn 13249 2,393,064 1/1946 Robinson 132-53 LOUIS G.MANCENE, Primary Examiner G. E. McNEILL, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R.2-198

